Master of the World
by Bad Luck Novelist
Summary: First part of the Shadow League Team series. After a young trainer finds herself in a strange, new place, will she meet her worst enemy or her true love? And will the world ever be the same because of the strange man she meets?
1. Chapter One: The Intruder

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: I know. I'm backgrounds. But I started rewriting this one before Shadow League, so I figured I'd try to finish it before starting work on League Team. -sighs- Bad, Bad, BLN.

Anyway, yeah...I'm not so sure how well this is going to go. I didn't care about this fanfiction initially, don't care for it all that much now, but we'll see what happens.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, so prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 1: The Intruder

The yelling of the guards running after her and the screams of the computer system drowned the footsteps of the young girl out. She ignored the confusion and fear welling up inside her, and concentrated on not getting caught.

Oddly enough, she had no idea on how she had gotten in the situation. She had been walking through Viridian Forest, when she had tripped and grabbed hold of a nearby tree. A moment later and she was in this building, running away from a pact of guards!

"Halt there!" they ordered, hurrying to catch her. She spared a look over her shoulder, before noticing the second group of guards in front of her. Skidding to an abrupt stop, and she fell over, landing with a thud on the floor.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, thrashing at them, when one of the men quickly grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her up. "I didn't do anything to you idiots!"

"What should we do with her?" one of them asked, purposely ignoring her yelling, and frowned. She continued to beat on her captor, uselessly trying to pull away from him.

"Hmmm," the guard holding her said, "take her to him perhaps? Even though I wouldn't be surprised if he went soft on her...since he is quite the sucker when it comes to a cute girl!"

"Shhh! He'd strangle you for saying that!" another one said, their gray eyes widening, though whether it was from unease or fear was hard to tell. The other shook his head, scowling at them.

"Aw, shaddup," he said, pulling her along. She resisted the urge to call out her pokemon, knowing it would only make things worse. The group of guards and the girl came up to a door. It was pushed open, and they entered.

She gasped, looking around at the room. It was covered with multiple monitors and control panels. More likely then not, it was a control room. People were sitting around the room, checking stats and typing. It was near silent, with the exception of the clicking of the keys.

"Master-" The amused tone suddenly went serious. "-we caught the intruder," one of the female guards said, stepping forward. Most of the workers turned in their seats, curious as to the mentioned 'intruder.' At the same time, the low buzz of the typing stopped. She shifted uneasily, as all eyes were on the guards and her.

There was only one other person standing up. He - or she - looked up from the monitor they had been watching very quickly. They were most definitely male. _What, is he going for the grim reaper look?_ she thought.

His whole outfit was a dark midnight black: dusty cloak, pants, shirt, and shoes. He pushed the hood of his cloak back, revealing his face. She held back a cry of surprise. _This CANNOT be...their...boss?_

He looked to be quite young still, at most twenty-three years old, and at least eighteen or nineteen. His brown eyes were narrowed in suspicion and several strands of messy ebony hair had fallen into his face; he actually looked like he had just been outside.

The guard holding her snickered into his free hand, when the man's expression softened. She glared at the guard, before looking again at the 'Master.' He still had a frown on his face.

She jumped, when he finally spoke. "Might I ask who you are?" he asked quietly.

His voice was surprisingly deep, but it was also very soft at the same time... "May," she replied, staring at him in bewilderment, "Uh, Oak. What the hell is your problem? Having these idiots chasing innocent bystanders!?"

A few people gasped, while others made whispered comments. "Uh, oh..." and "What did she say?" being a few. He glared at May. "Don't be rude," he snapped.

The guards looked at each other in alarm. One of them cleared their throat, to get his attention. The man turned his glance onto the guard. "Um, Master? What should we do with her?" they asked.

He absentmindedly tapped on the H key of a nearby keyboard. His frown deepened. "Tie her up. Lock her in a room. Do whatever you want, just keep her from wandering around."

May glared at his back, when she heard what he said under his breath: "The last thing I need is some idiot girl getting herself killed around here."

"I'm not 'some idiot girl!'" May said, before turning her glare on the guards, "Come near me with that chain and I'll kill you."

One of the men slammed a hand against her mouth, silencing the ranting girl. Another one bound her; her arms pinned against her sides; she couldn't believe everyone in the room could purposely ignore the injustice occurring. The guards trooped out at the unspoken word, the door shutting behind them. May once again turned her glare on the young man. "Release me this instant!"

"I would rather not." He glanced at her. May stared, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Yes?"

"I said to let me go!" she hollered, squirming against her confines, glaring at him. He sat down, albeit ungracefully, on the floor next to her. He leaned his head back against the wall – in a motion that was most unlike a leader, which she assumed he was -and shook it quickly.

"And I said I wouldn't. Would you like to argue, then?" May slumped over, glowering at him.

"You sick, sadistic, son of a..." May said, looking at the silently working people. He cupped her chin with his hand, and gently pulled so she was looking at him; his expression was both calculating and inquisitive.

"You really should look at who you are trying to insult," he scolded her, the expression changing over to disapproving. May bit him, her teeth sinking into the flesh of his palm.

"Don't touch me, you sicko!" she screamed. He held his very hurting hand to his chest, using his uninjured hand to cradle it. The anger and pain blazed in his watering eyes.

"You...you...!" he started, faltering when May stuck her tongue out, before her expression turned indifferent. He winced, exasperated, before getting up and trotting out, muttering curses under his breath.

"Nameless fool...can't even have a normal identity?" May asked to the air quietly. She looked over when she was given a surprise answer.

"Yes." The one to reply was a young woman, maybe twenty-one years old. Her green hair had fallen into her face. "Very few call him by his real name, since most rather use his nickname. It was an inside joke with him when it was started originally, but it stuck."

"What is it then?" she asked. May looked up at her impatiently.

"Oh, his real name? Well..uh...it's actually Ash Ketchum." May's eyes widened; she could hardly believe her ears. The stranger smiled. "I haven't introduced myself."

May shook her head numbly. That man…was Ash Ketchum? She knew that name; he was a legend! "No…"

"I'm Sora," she said, "And you're May, then…?"

"Yes," May replied, looking up at her again, eyes wide, "Where'd he go to?"

"Oh, you mean Ash?" Probably to the infirmary. I saw blood when he stood up…" Sora mused, leaning back. She smiled. "You have quite a strong set of teeth." May felt a sudden stab of guilt; she had really hurt him… Having nothing left to say, she went to looking at the various people, avoiding looking at the ones that kept stealing glances in her direction.

- - -


	2. Chapter Two: Discussions With Kanto

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Nothing to add.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, so prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 2: Discussions with Kanto 

May sat quietly in her seat, her arms wrapped around her legs. It hadn't taken too long to wear Ash down to allowing her to just be able to stay in a seat, even though she'd sneak off to go sit on the floor next to Sora; she knew he knew about it too. However, he never commented when he turned around and she was over there...rather, he gave her a funny look, before smiling, no harm being done.

This was one of those times. Quickly looking to see if Ash was paying attention or not, May slid off the seat and crawled over to Sora's computer area, sitting with her back against the wall. "Sneaking over here again, hmm?"

"It's no fun just sitting over there and counting ceiling tiles," May said, curling her legs up under her, "I've done that five times already." They both jumped as Ash swore, moving on to telling someone off. Sora looked warmly toward him as he looked thoroughly angry at the shaking woman beside him.

"You know…he acts so mean, but he's really a cupcake." Sora turned back to her module, her green eyes darting back and forth as she read what was there. May stared at her.

"'A cupcake'?" she echoed in amazement. Sora stifled a laugh, and nodded. May didn't get what she meant by cupcake. It didn't make any sense.

"Yes…it's what my family would call someone that is sweet," Sora replied, looking at May, "So, I said Ash is sweet."

She nearly choked, covering her mouth to stifle the gagging; his name didn't belong in the same sentence as the word 'sweet'! "Since when?"

"Oh, he's always been…you just got to get to know him personally." Sora frowned at the screen, before typing in some commands. May looked around, before bringing up the question that was bothering her.

"But why bother with the act then?" Sora's typing stopped when she looked at May.

"Well…I suppose it's like hiding under a shell…I have yet to figure that out myself to be honest." she sighed, before looking back at the screen, "He's become quite fond of you though. I do know that at least."

"…huh?" May stared at Sora blankly, her eyes going wide. She was, to say the least, more then a little surprised. Considering how roughly the two of them had met… Maybe Sora was just wrong?

"Ash talks to me, though it hasn't been anything he's said. It's what he does. The way he acts." The older woman laughed. "I should know. I remember when he had a crush on one of the girl's working here. He seemed fine talking to her, but after he'd walk away he'd give me the most flustered, embarrassed look I'd ever seen him get." Her amused expression changed when she looked up, frowning. A voice had started yelling from the speaker.

"ROCKET LAUNCH IN 10…9…8…7…" It was the computer announcement system. May looked at Ash, who bolted to one of the panels and typed in a command from over the top of who was sitting at it. "LAUNCH ABORTED."

"Are you an idiot?! A _moron?!_ I put you in control of that to keep that from happening in the first place!" Ash snapped, "For god's, sake, are you trying to kill someone?" Sora shook her head, returning to her work.

"The way he acts around everyone else, it's no surprise some fear him." May looked questioningly at her, jumping when she saw Ash; she hadn't noticed him walk over, away from the cowering man across the room

"Get the phone connected to the Kanto leader, could you?" he asked quietly, before turning his glance to May. It seemed to take a second to register the fact she was sitting there as he stared somewhat blankly before giving her a faint smile; she turned a faint shade of pink, looking away.

"It's connecting now…" Sora grinned, "…Master Ash." He rolled his eyes, before discreetly tapping her on the back of the head, going to sit down in the chair she normally was told to stay at. Ash pulled open the compartment beside it, and popped up the screen, picking it up to set it on his lap, and picked up the receiver; it reminded her of a laptop. Sora looked slyly at May. "Didn't I tell you?"

May forced a slight smile, before crawling back over to the chair quietly. She peeked at the screen ,her eyes moving back and forth between screen and Ash. It was black, until it flickered on and the woman who ran the whole continent of Kanto appeared. he was struggling to fix her bright pink hair into a bun at the back of her head, scowling.

Ash looked at her, his eyes widening slightly, but a smile seemed to tug at his lips. "What an interesting shade of bubblegum. Do all the world leaders go with this trend now?"

She jumped, dropping the pin she had been using. Her surprise changed quickly to heated resentment when she turned to look at her camera phone. "What do _you_ want?" she asked venomously.

"To look upon your charming beauty, of course." Ash replied sarcastically, before turning serious, "Well, actually, you _could_ give me the Item."

May looked at the screen, blinking, then at Ash. _What's an Item_ she thought.

"Keep in mind," he added, "that your stadium is very much a target otherwise."

"Like hell I will," the woman paled slightly as she spoke. May frowned slightly. Ash wasn't talking about the Pokemon League Stadium, was he?

"Of course…you should also remember, that the Pokemon League is almost your only resource, and you lean heavily on it…think of what would happen if that was…shall we say, to go 'poof'." May jumped. He was talking about destroying the Stadium?!

The pink haired leader seemed to become steadily more uneasy. "I can have another one built if need be."

"Let me dwell on that thought...No." The Kanto Leader looked defiant. "You couldn't afford it right now. You know it and I know it."

"I won't surrender my country to you!" she said. Ash smiled sweetly.

"Who said I want your damn country?" He scowled. "I just want the country's Item. Nothing more. But if you insist..." The Leader, though it looked impossible at that moment, turned paler and disconnected. Ash shook his head, biting his lower lip. "Shut down all systems that are not of importance, then go. None of you will be needed again until five in the morning tomorrow."

Very quickly and abruptly, the few people that had to type stopped. Most of them shut down their computer systems and stood up to leave, murmuring their thanks. May sat back down, her back against the side of the chair Ash was sitting in, and watched them file out, chattering to each other merrily. Sora was the only one that didn't do as the others had been told immediately, instead looking intently at her screen. "All the vital systems are running well on their own, and should be stable unless someone goes in and messes with them."

"Thank you," he said quietly, before looking around. "Where's the lunatic?" May looked up, glaring slightly as Sora snickered.

"Oh, she's around here. You just have to look to the ground." Sora smiled to herself, taking the same route as the others. Ash stared after her in mild confusion, his eyes narrowing. May wasn't going to help him any; she stayed up close to the side, curled in a tight ball as he sighed angrily.

She had to stifle a giggle when he peered over, leaning over the arm of the chair to see her staring up at him. "Am I the shadow now?" May asked, quickly looking up over the arm of the chair, forcing him to lean backwards.

Ash twitched, flushing a bright red. That was the final straw; May laughed, having to duck down to try to push them down. His expression changing from shocked to peeved. Ash glared at her, albeit half-heartedly, before standing up from his seat. Her laughter stopped quickly when she saw just how angry he looked; she frowned at him.

"Er..." May chanced a look up at him, an innocent smile flitting across her face. "You wouldn't kill me, would you?"

Ash's eyes went wide, amazed, and he laughed. May fell over, staring in shock at the man. "Are you flippin' insane? What gave you the idea that I'd kill _anyone_?" Ash asked, rubbing his eyes, turning his look onto her again.

It was unnerving seeing someone go from being so angry to laughing within such a short amount of time. May picked herself back up, straightening up. Looking Ash straight in the eye, she frowned. "What're you laughing at?" May asked, leaving his question without answer.

Going silent, Ash blinked in response. May tapped her foot on the floor, waiting for an answer. "Well…" he started, biting his lower lip gently, "I guess at you. You're funny."

"…I am?" Ash nodded, backing up a handful of paces, shifting uncomfortably. "Sometimes I wonder if you are insane."

His curiousity was piqued; he glanced at her, almost openly gaping. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, the fact that you had me chained up when I arrived, then you let me go, don't enforce your own rules...and then you pop up saying I'm funny. It's like you can't make up your mind or something..." May said, crossing her arms. Ash frowned at her, backing up until he could lean back against the panel counter, and looked down at his feet. He shook his head.

"I can't." It was May's turn to become nervous. She knew she had touched on something he hadn't wanted to think about, let alone discuss. _Change of subject_, she thought.

"How is it possible to get here?" It was a question that had been tugging on her mind the whole time, and it seemed like the most neutral question she could ask without seeming random. Ash looked up, his expression turning from a mix of pained and worried to one of thoughtfulness. He bit his tongue between his teeth, before finally coming to an answer.

"There's a device placed in Viridian Forest, in a few of the trees. If it's activated, it teleports whoever activated it to here. We figured it might be good to have a few different ones in case we needed to be at a certain place or one of them stopped working." May shook her head, knowing that she should have known the answer would have been complicated.

"Then how'd I manage to get here?"

"You must of activated it on accident. I guess, anyway." Ash went silent again, only this time it was a sullen, sad silence. May fidgeted uncomfortably, watching him. "It's late. I'll take you to Sora for the night."

"But…I…what about…" May quickly stopped, at the glare Ash gave her. It was more of a look that said 'Don't fight me' than anything else. She just nodded, and followed close behind, keeping her head down and staying quiet. The last thing she wanted to do was make him any more upset.

_- - -_


	3. Chapter Three: Demise of a Stadium

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Nothing to add.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, so prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 3: Demise of a Stadium

The following morning, May rose just in time to get ready to go back to the control room with Sora; the elder girl was preparing a bottle. "What is he planning anyway?" she asked finally, pulling her shirt into place. 

"Probably going to try to get the Kanto Item again," Sora replied, keeping her back to May as she helped the baby girl eat. When dressed, May looked over at Sora and, as she had learned, the baby Angel.

"Items?" Sora laughed, and nodded.

"It's something that is passed through the Leaders of each continent...region, whatever you want to call them. Whoever is in possession of it is deemed the Leader of that region that it belongs to."

"Then why does Ash want it?" _He doesn't seem the type to want to run a whole region on his own..., _May thought, but didn't dare verbalize.

"Oh…I don't know really." Sora frowned, and looked at the younger girl. "I've never thought to ask him. I know he found this, shall we call it, a holder? It looks like a very odd table with indents for each one, then more indents for what looks like orbs of some sort." Sora cleaned Angel up, before picking her up.

"A holder?" May asked, following Sora out and down one of the many halls. Sora nodded, ducking into one of the rooms and coming back out, this time without Angel. They continued on to get to the control room.

"Well, that's what I would call it. Though, some of the people here swear they feel uncomfortable in there, that there is something about that room, or maybe even that holder, that doesn't seem right."

_Sounds like what I kept hearing about Lavender Town_, May thought, frowning. Sora opened the door and let May in before following. She quickly went and sat down, making herself small in the chair, and looked around. _Ah, there he is._

She watched as Ash, with a halfhearted effort, tried to figure out how to work the computer that Sora worked at. The older woman glanced at him then at May, before walking over to stand behind him. Giving May a wink, Sora tapped the flustered man on the head. "Listen you, this is my job, so get your cute self up so I can get to work," she said.

Ash, who had been about to get up and let Sora take over, turned his stare back to her. May had to stifle a giggle; he had turned a bright red, obviously embarrassed. Sora shooed him off, grinning, and sat down to get started.

May had to look away to keep from breaking out into another fit of giggles when Ash looked at her, glowering. Sighing, he looked around resignedly, giving the workers a clear order, "Have the launching system prepared in an hours time."

"Are you sure you wanna go through with it?" May asked, twisting a few strands of brown hair between her fingers. Ash frowned, pausing before answering.

"She wouldn't take just being asked. Honestly, this is my last tactic." Ash gave her a rueful look, continuing to monitor the others. May frowned at him, wincing when she pulled too hard on her hair. She had been working most of her teenage years to get a strong team of pokemon together so she could walk into that stadium with confidence and beat her opponent. With the threat to it, it was hard to tell if she ever would.

It didn't take long for the hour to rush by, and the commotion in the room to worsen. Ash helped one of the men make the last arrangements on the targeting, frowning in concentration. May, in a slight daze, stared at him. Vaguely, she heard one of the computers counting. _He's only about to send a rocket bomb into the stadium. It's a building, nothing more. Unless…_, she thought, and her eyes widened.

Hurried, May ticked days off mentally, trying to find the exact date. When she finally did, she gasped. It wasn't just a building; it was a building full of people and pokemon. The Pokemon League was holding the first of the tournament battles, and that meant many people would wind up dead.

The computer was already to thirty on the count down, which started at fifty, and was quickly making its way through. "ASH!"

"Not now," Ash said, scowling at her. What was going on at that moment was of too much importance to put on hold. May ran a hand through her hair, got up, and ran over to him.

"But Ash! It's-" she started. He turned and glared at the girl. May stepped back a few paces, nearly cringing. That look never brought any good with it.

"Go sit back down." May blinked at the difference; his expression made it look like he was getting angry with her, yet his voice was passive. She sighed, and tugged on his arm. She knew it'd make her look like a bratty child doing so, but under the circumstances it was of more importance to get his attention and fast.

"Ash, come on! The Pokemon League! The Tournament is-" May stopped short, when the computer sang out the last number and everyone went quiet. It was too late. Everyone in that stadium would surely die within the next minutes to come.

One of the people, cautiously, piped up. "Sir, a call from Kanto Mansion."

Numbly, May stepped aside to let Ash past, staring fixedly at him in disbelief. His whole expression had changed from being angered to regretful. That very stadium that held so many memories in it had just been damaged on his order. Ash collapsed down into the seat that she normally sat in, and took the phone out again, flipping the screen on.

"KETCHUM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" the ruffled Kanto Leader yelled through the phone. Ash winced, before making a reply.

"I just did what I said I would," he replied coolly. The Leader glared heatedly at him; she sighed then, a defeated look overcoming her.

"Fine, fine. Take it. Take the blasted Item….just don't do any more damage then you've already done." Ash nodded, smiling, before going to hang up the phone. "I don't want more people killed. There were hundreds of people in that stadium you just attacked and possibly killed most of them."

May, who had taken to standing behind Ash, stepped back, blinking her eyes. She was tearing up already, and knew it. Turning, she tore out of the room blindly. Ash,quickly muttered a good-bye to the leader and hung up on her, giving the baffled people a warning glance as he followed after. In the hallways, it'd be harder to find her. "May! Wait up!"

_I can't get away. This is __his home, he__ probably helped design the thing of all I know, and he knows the way around here…_, May thought, shaking her head and ignoring the calls that came from far behind. It was inevitable; she'd get lost sooner or later, and would have to stop the flight.

Ash, after quite a while of running, had to stop and rest. Panting, out of breath, he looked around to better register where he was. Sighing, Ash leaned against the wall, and slid down. _Damn it all,_ he thought, glaring at the floor, _This place is like a maze at some points. Who knows where she ran off to. She's fast.._

"Pi…kachu?" a small voice asked. Ash's head snapped back up. A pokemon stood in front of him, ears bent back uneasily. The pokemon had dark black eyes, mostly yellow fur, and a stiff lightning bolt tail. He blinked curiously; it was obviously a Pikachu, but it definitely wasn't his.

"Who do you belong to, hm?" He gently went to pet the restless pikachu, before getting a small shock from it. It wasn't enough to actually harm him, but only to make him let go.

"Pikachu! Pik, pikachu!" the small yellow pokemon squealed at Ash, before turning and running off. Ash hurried to get up, and took chase once more. This time though, he had a feeling he wouldn't fail. The pokemon still confused him to no end; the few that where in the building he recognized, but this one wasn't one of them.

Soon enough, the two had arrived in the room holding what was called the Item Holder. The giant table, circular in shape, was placed with care in the center of the room. Along the top were the places for each Item, with each indent being of a certain shape – the shape of the symbol on the bottom of the Items.

The place for the Kanto Item was still quite empty, though Ash knew that it'd be filled soon enough, once it was brought in. There was only one so far on the Holder, and that was for the Canadian region. It was of Articuno, graceful and powerful. The symbol, he couldn't see, though he knew it to be a snowflake by memory.

Through the silence, Ash heard someone mutter under their breath between sobbing. Carefully, he walked around the platform, feeling around the Holder in the dark. "Why did you run off so quickly?" he asked, kneeling down in front of the crying teenager.

May half-heartedly glared at him with puffy eyes. "How could you do that?!"

The Pikachu silently jumped onto her lap, wiggling into a comfortable position, before turning its stare onto Ash again. He gave her a worried look. "How could I what?" he asked, pushing the hair that had fallen into her face away.

She shivered, looking away. Ash moved to try to hold her, frowning. Pikachu whimpered when May cringed away from him. "It's a statue! All it does is sit and look pretty! How could you hurt and kill so many people for such a ridiculous thing?!" she snapped.

Ash looked away, alarmed and uneasy. "I didn't know…about the tournament. It's been a long while since I'd been in one. I lost track of them."

Sighing, May gave him an exasperated look. "That's what I was trying to get you to listen for! I knew! But because of how focused on it you where, you wouldn't even give me a minute!" She frowned at him. "You wouldn't listen."

"Call me an idiot if you want. I didn't want to actually hurt anyone, I regret going through with it. I do." They sat in silence for quite a few minutes afterwards, not daring to look at each other. The pikachu whimpered slightly, growing bored very quickly.

"You're a pokemon trainer," he said. May nodded mutely, squeezing her pokemon tightly. "What team?"

"Meowth, Vaporeon, Sneasel, Ledyba, Pikachu, and Chikorita…why do you ask?" May asked, finally looking at him. Ash shrugged, and pulled his shirt up a bit to reveal the six red pokeballs that where connected to his belt.

"Curiosity. I have my own." May's eyes widened.

"You're still a trainer…?" The inquiry brought a haunted look to the man's eyes. May mentally kicked herself for asking the question. It had obviously brought up some unwanted memories.

"…not exactly. I used to be, before the Pokemon League decided to accuse me of breaking a rule that I never did," Ash replied quietly, leaning back against the Item Holder for support.

"Why'd they…what happened?" she asked. Ash closed his eyes, biting his lower lip thoughtfully. Before long, he finally looked at her again.

"Long story short, I was 17, in the Pokemon League and wanting to become Pokemon Master. I won the battle I needed to do just that, but around two days later I was approached with the issue that my opponent Gary's team had been poisoned before the battle, and obviously they thought I had done it." May, startled, clutched onto the pikachu tighter yet. "Of course, I could never again fight in another official Pokemon League Tournament. I hate them, every last one of them, for doing that to me, for being damned fools that didn't even look for evidence to back up their judgment."

May stared at him. Her shock quickly turned to resentment to both the Pokemon League and Gary Oak. "My brother poisoned them."

Ash, who had started sulking, looked curiously at her. "What?"

"You heard me. Your opponent was my brother, and he was the one that poisoned them. It was obvious that when it came out, he wouldn't be blamed, but you would since you where fighting against him," she said quietly, cringing slightly. Ash frowned at May, biting his lower lip slightly.

"And you told no one, why?" May gave him a glowering look, squeezing the pikachu again. It scowled at her.

"Gary knew that I had found out, and had threatened to have my license taken so I couldn't be a trainer again, which also meant my pokemon would be taken also. I was only twelve, and I thought he might really do it if I went to the Minister of the Pokemon League and told on him. So, I just kept quiet and didn't say anything." May looked up slightly, to see the reaction. She near jumped from being startled; Ash had a grim, worried expression.

"He's a fool to go to such lengths to ensure his position. Though, it's in the past, and best left there. Let's go back, Sora is probably wondering what we are doing," Ash replied, getting up from the floor. He helped May up also, letting the yellow pokemon jump onto him playfully.

The moment of silence that had passed was once again broken, when there was a small gasp near the door. Ash snapped his glance toward the door, where the guard was standing, holding a statue.

An Item.

"What is that?" Ash asked, his eyes narrowing. May couldn't help but giggle once again, the sight of him glaring at the guard and her pikachu clinging to him at the same time making the effect he had been trying to get lesser then expected.

"The Johto Item, sir," she said, stepping forward and setting the Item on the edge of the Holder. Both Ash and May walked over and looked at it; the Johto Item was of a Chikorita, and when turned so its base faced up, was a crescent moon. Nodding, Ash set the Item in its place, the shape fitting perfectly. The guard, without waiting for a reply from either of them, vanished back out of the door.

"What had her so spooked?" Ash asked, looking from the door to May, blinking. May shrugged, giving the Holder one last lingering look.

"Who knows, maybe it has to do with the room itself." She once again shrugged, before starting to walk out. "Well? I rather not get lost again, and I doubt you'd like it if I ended up hurting myself in the process."

Ash smiled sadly, brushing the black hair that had fallen into his face out of the way. "Which you would, no doubt." he added, laughing at the glare May gave him, "Then again, we both would, so don't start getting defensive again."

"With you around, I always have to be defensive!" May snapped back. Ash shrugged passively, with the same smile still.

"Let's just get back. I have some statistics to look into."

- - -


	4. Chapter Four: A Nightly Game

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Nothing to add.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, so prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 3: A Nightly Game

That night, at the normal time Ash dismissed everyone to shut down and to leave. Just as with every other night, they did so with much enthusiasm, leaving him alone in the main room with May.

He picked restlessly at his shirt, fidgeting in his seat. "What are you so antsy about tonight?" May asked, staring up at him from her place on the floor at his feet; that alone was enough to make him twitch.

She had purposely chosen there to sit, wanting to stay closer then anything else would allow. Ash leaned forward, knocking them both over in the meanwhile, and embraced her. "Ash, what in hell?" May cried, squirming to get away, before settling down and relaxing.

May moved to get her arm out of the uncomfortable angle it was at, trying to keep from frowning. _This is just strange. It's making me feel really weird too…_, she thought, ignoring the way her elbow was still lodged painfully between her side and the floor.

Ash's hold got tighter, May wincing in response, when he thought about everything; the past days, the current situation, and then his last conversation with Sora about it all. He had started blushing the moment they collided and hit the floor, though that changed when he went pale. The conversation was just a depressing reminder that things could not stay the way they were.

- - -

Impatiently, Ash paced across the room and back, worrying his lower lip with his teeth. He sighed, looking at the door, before going and sitting on his bed. Pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged, he started rocking back and forth to keep moving.

"You look rather unsettled. Something unhinged again?" Sora asked, peeking in the door before coming in. Ash gave her a plaintive look, not even smiling at the small attempt at a joke. "Right…I take it, this is serious?"

Sora sat down next to Ash, and swung herself around to face him, focusing her attention once again. "I don't get it. What's wrong with me?"

"Wrong with you? Nothing is wrong with you, as far as I could see," she said, frowning in worry at him. Ash looked at Sora, his eyes narrowed, tears of frustration steadily appearing. "What is it that's bothering you so much?"

"I never should have stopped being indifferent. It's causing nothing but trouble, and people say it's so great! Causes nothing but pain…" his rambling turned into a mumble as he continued talking. Sora frowned in thought, listening to Ash. None of it made any sense, until the beginning suddenly became the apparent clue.

_Shouldn't have stopped being indifferent. No wonder, I was right!,_ Sora thought, nodding. "To sum it all up, you've…for some reason…got yourself knotted up inside because you've fallen for her?" Sora cut him off. Ash rubbed his eyes, before frowning at his companion.

"I can't have though! This is too painful for that, and it's not right!" Ash protested, sounding just as upset as he looked. Sora sighed, feeling exasperated. It was always difficult trying to keep him calm, but it was getting increasingly impossible to that night! "I'm six years older! I'm not supposed to like May! She was the one that came in here uninvited!"

"Denying: the act of being in denial. _You are in love with her_, and no amount of denying is going to change that." Ash stared at Sora, his eyes wide, sniffling. "Oh, for god's sake, come here."

Sora pulled the shaking man over, rocking him slightly. "You're making me feel like I'm a child."

"You're thinking like one," Sora said, her voice harsh, soothing, and teasing at the same time. Ash smiled half-heartedly. "Why don't you go to bed? You staying up so late all the time is probably got you worn out and irritable."

"Like that'll help any. Things will still be the way they are now," he pouted, frowning at her. Sora shook her head, before getting up. She looked at Ash carefully, before smiling.

"If you'd get a normal amount of sleep, things might not look so bad. Good night." She left the room, leaving behind a very confused and troubled Ash.

- - -

"…..a video game?" Ash blinked, staring at May. She frowned at him slightly. "What? All I did was ask if you wanted to play a video game."

"Oh...oh. Sorry. I had just been daydreaming, I think." he said, blushing slightly in embarrassment, letting go and getting up. "Why not, it could be fun."

May watched him curiously, worry in her eyes, before letting him help her up. "Are you alright? It's like you are spacing out," she asked, following behind Ash through the halls.

Ash stared at the ground silently, before nodding passively. "I'm fine, just worn out is all," Ash replied, smiling weakly at her.

Seconds went by silently, before either of them spoke again. May kept a loose hold on Ash's sleeve, feeling uneasy. She had never been in the area they were walking through, and she didn't like the thought of getting separated from her guide. Ash put his arm out, stopping May, in front of one of the doors. It stood alone, being the only one in the current hall except for two others, and next to the door was a keypad, which looked well used with scratches on the keys.

Looking curiously at him, May watched as Ash chewed on his lip thoughtfully, before he finally put in the combination. "2-6-1-2-0-3," she said, repeating it perfectly, earning an astonished look from the ebony-haired man, "…What?"

Shaking his head, Ash pushed the door open, holding it. "If your memory is that good…just don't go repeating it again?"

Shrugging innocently, May slipped past, followed by Ash. "Why would I want to anyway?" was the reply, as she waited for him to lead the way once again.

"I'm just saying." he chided, "Since teenagers _are_ so unpredictable." It was May's turn to stare, as Ash smiled playfully at her, and casually opened another room. May looked around, noticing it was another hallway, and went into the room. Ash followed close behind, pushing gently to make her hurry up.

May stopped, staring in amazement. The television set sitting directly across from the door had to be at least 32 inches, and was sitting in the cove made for it among the shelves that lined the wall. Looking around, she saw the other walls covered in shelves. Some of them where filled to bursting with books, but closer to the TV set was nothing but games. The cabinet under the TV set was shut, and May's only guess was that it held all of the consoles, as they were no where in sight.

"How many-" she started, before Ash put a hand up, cutting her off politely. May went silent.

"Most of the ones that are currently made," Ash said, sweeping past her and stooping down to the cabinet, opening the cabinet and stepping aside, showing the contents. As she thought, it was filled with wires and machines, all of which was neatly stacked on each other. "Well, which one?"

Walking along the walls, looking at the various games May shrugged. "I don't know! Half of these I'd never seen before. You have a Nintendo 64?"

Ash got down on his knees, pulling out various systems until he could pull it out without making a mess. He held up the Nintendo 64 proudly, the wires hanging limply. "Right here. All the games for it are right there, on that shelf."

May looked to where he had pointed, and saw the cartridges lined up. She blanched; they all looked the same to her, since the labels were hidden by the other games. Biting her lip, she pulled them out one at a time, looking at each carefully. Most of them where about pokemon – which made her giggle, considering some were made for small children, and the thought of the 21-year-old actually playing them was laughable – while some of the others were for other platforms.

"Found one!" she said, pulling the game out. A few others fell off the shelf, hitting the carpeted floor with dull thuds. Ash winced, before shaking his head and smiling. "Is Snap ok?"

"Snap? …oh! Pokemon Snap!" he said, before nodding, "Fine with me."

The console had already been set up, the wires unwound and plugged in, and the remote controls sitting on the floor next to it. Ash took the game and blew it out, before putting it into the Nintendo 64. May looked curiously at him, getting nothing but a helpless shrug back, before taking the main remote.

"I've already beat it a few times, so you can go ahead and play. I'll just watch." May nodded absentmindedly, watching the beginning theme more then listening to Ash. He got onto his stomach next to her on the floor, his head resting on his arms, amusedly watching the fascinated teenager. _It's like she has never played a game before_, he thought.

The night all too soon started taking its toll on the pair, as it got near past one in the morning. Ash, albeit sleepily, got up and turned the Nintendo off, along with the TV. The remote lay forgotten next to May's quiet form. He pushed it off toward the system, before getting back down on the floor next to his companion.

Not even the ceiling caving in could awake or separate the sleeping forms.

- - -


	5. Chapter Five: An Awkward Situation

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: This is taking a lot longer then I thought it would. There has been some trouble around here for the last few weeks, so I've not really been able to do much of anything, so please excuse my absence.

Of course, I still don't care for this fanfiction. It is turning out better then it did originally, but not by much. I'm hoping by the end of it it'll be up to my standards overall, but we'll see what happens.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, so prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 5: An Awkward Situation

The morning drifted in hours later, the compound livening up for the day. Sora looked around, already at her computer station in the control room. It was almost 7, and there had yet to be any sign of Ash or May; it was beginning to worry her. She knew there were the odd days where the man slept in, whether it be on purpose or accidentally, and she wondered if it was one of those days.

Though, what worried Sora was the fact she hadn't heard May enter her rooms like she should have. It was clear where both of them were though. She got up from her seat, and silently left, deftly making her way through the hall.

She nodded politely to anyone she passed, until she finally got to her destination. Putting the code in, having been given it long before, she went in. Sora went straight to the end of the short hall, and cracked the door open that was at the end. Seeing it empty, Sora looked into the others, until finally finding the couple.

"Ohh…" Sora smiled quietly, going back to the room at the end of the hall, and getting a blanket. She edged into the still dark room, stepping lightly across the carpeting, until she could gently drape the blanket across the two silent forms on the floor.

Giving them a knowing look, Sora exited, leaving them to their rest.

- - -

Around half an hour later, May stirred in her sleep. She curled up, pulling the blanket closer to stay warm. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to get up or move; it was comfortable right where she was! May turned over, sighing, when she couldn't will herself back to sleep, and looked around. Everything was the way she would have expected it to be, with the exception of the blanket.

Getting fidgety, May gently prodded Ash, giggling when he slit his eyes open and looked crossly at her. "Not a morning person?" she asked, nudging him again.

Scowling, Ash rolled onto his stomach, hiding his head in his arms. May looked at him, getting up close to see through. "Ya think?" he said, his voice muffled, peeking out just long enough to glare at her, "…..what time is it?"

Ash looked at her from between his arms. May shrugged, holding her hands up to show her bare wrists. Scowling again, he uncurled, and stretched out. "If it's earlier then seven, I'll make you regret waking me up."

She smiled innocently, the scowl Ash had melting into a warm smile. "You couldn't do that," May said, crouched down next to him.

"Watch me." Ash bolted up in an instant, knocking the stunned girl over. The tumble left them dazed for several moments, before he shook his head, getting his wits back to him. "We need to go find Sora though. She'll tell me off if we're late….she'll tell me off for you disappearing."

Snickering, May pulled herself up with Ash's help. "You just don't want people to start talking…probably wondering what their _wicked_ Master did."

Ash watched her, before shrugging and grinning. "Let them wonder."

- - -

All eyes turned to the door, as the two of them entered the control room. May looked past Ash toward the other side of the door, where a man was leaning on the wall, when she heard him snicker. Her eyes widened; it was the same one that had been making comments when she first arrived.

"Phone call," Sora said, peeking over at them from her station. She had to hide her smile before Ash noticed she was hiding something. "From the Orange Islands and Johto."

May stared at him, when he scampered over to his seat and fell into it, digging the phone out. It amazed her that someone could be so desperate for a phone call! When curiosity finally beat her, May edged over to Ash, and leaned over his shoulder to hear what was being said on the other side of the phone; he didn't have the videophone out. He peered bemusedly at her, before tilting his head so she could hear easier. "What do you want?"

The voice they heard was only slightly deep, though it also quivered. "We are willing to give up leadership of both the Orange Islands along, under the condition that nothing in their borders will be damaged," the male voice said, "and you already have Johto's."

Ash snickered, covering the mouthpiece with his hand. It was obvious that the news of Kanto's misfortune had spread quickly through the governments. "Fine," Ash replied calmly, "I can agree to that."

He rolled his eyes when there was a hushed, "Thank god!" in the background on the other end of the line. "I'll expect the Items to arrive soon," he said, before hanging up, "Spineless twits."

"You do now them being…ah, 'spineless twits' as you so nicely put it…means you'll just get all of those Items faster?" May sighed, smiling at him. Ash pulled thoughtfully at his hair, before getting up.

"…Point taken. Do you want to go with to see if they sent them?" he asked, as the door out opened silently. May jumped up, nodding energetically. With a laugh, Ash tapped her on top of the head, and went at a run into the hall, ignoring the started looks he was getting. "Beat you there!"

"But I don't know where we're going!" she yelled, staying several paces behind him. Ash bent his head down, snickering under his breath, before doing a half spin to look at her, finally stopped.

"And yet again you've proven that I'm an idiot." May grinned, running up and threw her arms around Ash's neck, the two of them doing another spin from the force. Their playfulness ended quickly, when someone stepped up to them, and cleared their throat. "Er…yes?"

"It came," the woman said icily, thrusting a box towards Ash. Grabbing hold of it, he narrowed his eyes. She walked past, giving them a glare that matched her voice as she did so. May laughed, earning a curious look from the black haired man.

"What's so funny?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips and tilting his head, the box held in the crook of his arm as he did so. May shook her head, and smiled at him with mild amusement.

"You're blind, aren't you?" She looked back, watching the woman as she turned a corner at the end of the hall. "She's jealous. Any time she is nearby, she always gives me a nasty look, as if she wants nothing less then my death." Ash's eyes widened, as he stared at her. May shrugged. "What?"

Shaking his head, Ash pulled the lid off the box, and pulled out the Orange Islands Item. It was a Lapras, with a shell being the symbol on the bottom. Rubbing his thumb along the edge of Lapras, he bit his lip. Sighing, he turned and started toward the hall with the Item Room silently.

_How could any of them know…_ Ash listened intently to the footsteps behind him, somewhat lost in his own thoughts. _They were never told…_

Another thought crept in, startling him and May both. "…it's not even subtle. No wonder they are starting to think…"

May looked at him, frowning slightly. "Ash…you are thinking out loud, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Nodding, Ash pushed the door open, and walked over to the Item Holder. "I don't like this…I don't like what just happened," Ash said, gently placing the Item in its place.

"Neither do I." May looked at the Item Holder, running a hand along the rim of one of the indents. "It looks like a pokeball would go here. Would it?"

Shrugging, Ash leaned on the side of it. "Dunno. I've never really thought about it. Probably does though, if that's the shape of it," he replied, pushing off and straightening. "Well, time to go make sure no one else is slacking off…"

- - -

"Would you snap out of it?" Jumping, Ash blinked, and looked at May. She stood in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Finally. It took long enough to get your attention."

"What do you want?" he asked, stretching his legs out and standing up. "Couldn't you of just punched me or something? It probably would have been quicker."

"I did," May said, crossing her arms and scowling at him. Ash shrugged innocently. "I want to go to bed…"

He stared at her for several minutes before it sunk in. Ash shook his head, smiling. May looked back curiously at him. "And what happened to you just going to bed on your own, huh?"

"…..I don't want to." Eyebrows raising slightly, he looked clearly dumbfounded. May turned a pale shade of pink, before turning away awkwardly. Before Ash could say anything, the door slid up and a small form walked in. They both breathed out in relief, seeing Pikachu staring up at them. "Oh, you came out of hiding now?"

"Cha!" Pikachu trotted over, and climbed up on Ash, looking disapprovingly at him. May snickered. "Pikapi, chuuu."

"…Yes, mother. We're going to bed!" Ash sighed, shrugging whatever comment Pikachu had made off. "Well, where do you want to go?"

"Um…your room?" May asked, "I'd need my stuff though…" Pikachu jumped down, landing smoothly between them. Squealing, the yellow mouse pokemon zipped out, leaving them behind. "What was that?"

"Pikachu just said he'd do it for us," Ash replied, smiling tiredly, "Come on, I feel like dropping dead for the night." May laughed, grabbing hold of his wrist as they left, and started the walk through the halls.

- - -

The room itself was nothing like the Video Game room or any of the others May had been in.

It looked like everything was in a shade of red, except for the carpeting – which was actually blue. There were two dressers, each one against a wall on opposite ends of the room, with the bed centered. The door to the bathroom was across from the bed. "This…" she started.

"…is my room, yes." They looked at each other and grinned. Ash started digging in one of the dressers, pulling some clothes out. "If you couldn't tell, I can't decorate for the life of me."

"It all matches though." May sat down on the bed, kicking her legs slightly. "Except for the blue that is."

"Yes, well, I didn't exactly think about colors at the time," Ash said, before going silent. Without another word, he slipped into the bathroom, and shut the door. May laid back, looking up at the ceiling. She looked over when Pikachu arrived, dragging her bag in.

"Thank you Pikachu!" she said, getting up and taking the load off the pokemon. Pikachu jumped up on the bed, and curled up in a ball at the top. May opened it and pulled out her pajamas, as Ash returned. "Cute."

"Shut it," he growled, sitting down next to her. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and he had pulled his hair back out of his face. Giggling, May retreated into the bathroom before Ash could stop her. Pikachu slitted an eye open, looking at him with a look that clearly said 'You should have known…'

Several minutes later, May came out, and did a slight twirl. Ash stuck his tongue out playfully, ducking out of the way of her swing. "Show off!"

"You can't talk!" she said, looking at her pajamas. They were purple, with a white diamond shape pattern. "Well, what do you think?"

"Of what? They are just PJs?" May frowned at him. Ash mentally cursed himself for his stupidity, and stood up. He walked over and hugged her, holding on tightly to the young girl. "They're nice. Adorable."

The smile returned, May pulled him over to the bed. Ash followed along quietly, not complaining that a 16-year-old was dragging him around, and collapsed down with her, startling Pikachu. The pokemon scowled when the pair, laughing, started a game of 'Pinned ya!' "Piiikaachuu!"

"…sorry. Sorry, we'll go to bed. For real this time," Ash said, looking apologetically at him. Pikachu sniffed, and rolled back over. "Well, that ends that."

May pulled the blankets down, getting under them. Words weren't even needed. Yawning, Ash joined her, switching the lights off, casting the room in darkness.

Later that same night, at four A.M., an explosion nearby disturbed the total silence.

- - -


	6. Chapter Six: The Entrance of Farrider

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Ah, chapter six...to be honest, there is only one reason I had this chapter begin the way it did.

Do you know what it is? Because I wanted an excuse for Ash to think/say "Hell's bell's!" It had been something I had heard somewhere, and had wanted to use it since then. Even in this rewrite I decided to keep it in, because if just seems like something he would say at some point.

This story just keeps getting cheesier and cheesier...

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, so prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 6: The Entrance of Farrider

_Hell's Bells! What the hell was that?_ Ash thought, rubbing his sleepy eyes, sitting up. He watched the door, as there was footsteps outside. With a bang, the door flew open, hitting the wall with enough force to dent it.

In the doorway was a small group, no more then three people in all. Ash fumbled for the light, alarmed by the sudden intrusion, and switched it on. As it came on, he threw the covers off and swung his legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. He glared at them.

"Hm…really not as intimidating in the middle of the night, is he?" one of them said, snickering. Ash frowned, taking note that his hair was messed up and his clothes were rumpled.

"Who are you? And what in hell's name are you doing in here?" he growled, putting a hand under his pillow. His hand clasped around the pokeball that he had put there. The single woman of the group sidestepped the two men, smirking. Her hair was short and fiery red, and her eyes were a steely, cold blue.

"My name's Foxy," she replied, her arms crossed in front of her, "because of my skill in tricking others." The man to her right pushed her away, eager for his own turn. The new one was gray-eyed, and had dark purple hair. Ash rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He wasn't in the mood to be around idiots.

"I'm Dill. In this group I am the Ground and Grass type," Dill said, before also being shoved aside, this one not being as gentle about it. The last man was obviously the oldest of the three; his hair had turned stone gray, and his eyes were a dark green. "I'm Steelgar, the actual leader." he sneered, giving his comrades a dirty look, "We've come here on a mission."

Ash leaned back against the headboard, looking at them in mild exasperation. He wanted to go back to bed, and fast. It was unsettling that they had even managed to get in to begin with, but for them to not even state their purpose… "And that includes bothering me, why?" Ash asked, his voice quiet.

"We're here to destroy you." Dill pulled the object he had reached to grab for from his pack – a gun. It was a .45 Baby Eagle Magnum, and loaded. Ash's eyes darted to the side, looking at May – who seemed to be unaware of the danger she was in, as she was still asleep. He slid over, pulling her closer to him. She scowled in annoyance at the touch.

"What's going on?" she yawned, blinking at him. Ash shook his head. "Who-"

"Silence!" Steelgar roared, appearing before them. Ash shifted, trapping May under him, and took the blow that had been aimed at her. His teeth clacked painfully together at the impact. He let the pokeball enlarge in his hand, squeezing it tightly enough to crack the red enamel that covered the top of it protectively.

Pikachu – he had gotten used to sleeping in the pokeball some nights – was unleashed, laser casting a red glow on the room. Dill cried out, seeing the yellow mouse pokemon. "A pokemon! I demand a Pokemon Challenge! Right here, right now."

Ash rose an eyebrow, and looked around. "Here? Don't make me laugh. You want a proper battle, we'll use the arena," Ash said, getting out of bed.

He stood to his full height, trying to look as dignified as he could in the state he was in. "Fine. Lead the way, _Master_," Foxy ordered, saying 'Master' like it was painful.

"Pfft. Like either of us are really walking out of here like this!" Steelgar took the gun from Dill, and aimed it at Ash, his eyes narrowed. "Like waiting five minutes is going to cause harm?"

"Let him," the red head purred, looking at the two men, "It is depressing me seeing such a…powerful…figure looking like they just came out of a nightmare."

With a scowl, Steelgar waved him off. Ash eyed them, and quickly grabbed May's wrist – "HEY!" – and pulled her into the bathroom with him, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it. "I don't like this," he said, sliding down the door to sit on the floor and covering his eyes with his hands, "They have me trapped, and they know it."

May watched him, sitting on the counter and swinging her legs, as he talked. She picked at her shorts, before smiling. "Just beat them then. You win, they leave."

Ash sighed, and shook his head. "It can't be that easy, not when they include weapons in this," he pointed out, and pulled his outfit from that day out of the hamper he had thrown it in out, "At any minute one of them could shoot me down in one blow."

Turning pink, May turned away while he changed. Despite the situation, he snickered. "What's so funny?" she asked, peeking over from between her fingers to check.

"I'm dressed. Nothing really, just a thought. Are you going to stay in that?" May looked at herself, and nodded. Shrugging, Ash unlocked the door and walked out first, grabbing his cloak from where it hung on the dresser corner and the 5 pokeballs sitting on top of the dresser. The three intruders looked at each other, and then at them. "Shall we go? I rather whip the lot of you fast so I can go back to bed. I, unlike you three, have a life."

Ignoring the dubious expressions, Ash swept past them, hooking the cloak together at his throat. _Flare for the dramatic_, May thought, following him quietly and smirking at Foxy, Dill, and Steelgar. She took a hold of Ash's hand, as her mind returned to the thought of the gun that Steelgar held.

Unsurprisingly, the arena was only a short walk away. The double doors that led to it were locked, and looked like they hadn't really been opened. May wondered how often it really was used as Ash carefully undid the locking mechanism, and shoved them open.

Light flooded out of the open doors as they entered. The arena was large, considering its location inside the building. May wasn't given time to examine it, however, because Ash quickly and gently pushed her toward the bench against the wall that was behind one of the trainer areas. With a disapproving look, she shuffled over to it, Pikachu following on her heels.

Without flinching from the sight of the gun, Ash looking at the trio. "One-on-one each. Which one?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"I'll go first," the red-head replied, stepping into her own trainer square, and pulling a pokeball off her belt. With a whispered word, she let her chosen pokemon out. From the red beam, a Vulpix materialized in the middle of the field. Thoughtfully, Ash released his own pokemon, getting a confident smile.

"This is an easy one. Lapras, time to wake up!" Ash said. Lapras twisted her longer neck to look at him, letting out a mellow tune. Foxy growled angrily, seeing her obviously disadvantage. The battle hadn't even started.

"A Lapras…damn," she breathed, before shaking her head. "Kori, use Sunny Day!" They all blinked, as the arena seemed to glow even brighter then it had been before. Ash bit his lip, when May gave a soft gasp.

"That'll halve water-type attacks…" He smiled and shook his head, briefly turning to look at her.

"Not if I use my own attack." Ash looked back at Foxy, who was growing impatient. "Rain Dance!"

Lapras shrieked, flippers slapping the floor. The battlefield was pelted with rain, the small storm making both pokemon look up and around. Foxy screamed, cursing Ash for making her initial attack useless. They were back to square one… "Fire Spin!" she yelled.

"Vuul!" Vulpix stepped forward, letting loose a stream of fire. The fire itself turned into a twisting inferno, coving the large blue form for several minutes. Ash crossed his arms, watching it with a calm that aggravated the woman even more.

"Nice try…but it isn't good enough. Lapras, use your Hydro Pump!" He wiped a hand across his forehead, feeling the sweat that ran down. The arena had heated up with the Fire Spin attack, and hadn't cooled down even though the attack was ended. Lapras opened her mouth, and let a stream of water equivalent to that of a fire hose out.

The smaller fire pokemon tried futilely to dodge the attack, but was hit with the full force of it and was flung against the wall behind Foxy. Scowling, she returned her injured vulpix, who looked glad for the containment. "You might have beaten Kori and me, but Dill will be another story!" Foxy snapped, walking off the field briskly.

Eagerly, the youngest of the two men took her place, the pokeball already starting to leave his hand. "I choose Niall!" he said, and his ivysaur appeared in front of Lapras, "Leech Seed."

Eyeing the larger pokemon, ivysaur backed off, and bent his back legs. A seed appeared from the bud on his back, and it flew out to land on Lapras. The already somewhat weakened pokemon cried out, as her energy was drained. "Lapras!" Ash called out to her, as she fell onto her side, "Return!"

Within seconds the giant water pokemon was returned to the safety of a pokeball. Ash chewed on his tongue, trying to think of a strategy for the second battle. It didn't take long to come to him; with a smile, he pulled the second pokeball out. "Come out, Quilava, and use Fire Wheel."

The fire-type obeyed the order, appearing out of the red light without a complaint. With a growl, the smaller pokemon went up onto his hind legs, and fire spiraled up around his body. The flames curved around until it could shoot toward Ivysaur, consuming the pokemon in the overbearing heat. "Ivysaur!" the grass type screamed, falling over from the blast.

"Get up and use Poison Powder!" Ivysaur stumbled up, shaking away the weariness, and bent down. A sparkling, purple-colored powder shot out of its flower, filling the air in the battle area with it. Quilava choked, before looking darkly at Ash. It was poisoned.

Ash bit his tongue, before shaking his head. "Use Fire Punch!" he said, hoping his fire pokemon could win the battle before the poison set in more.

Quilava charged forward, coming up onto his hind legs again, and his left paw becoming a small ball of fire. Ivysaur took the hit, not being quick enough to dodge it, and fainted. "Return!" Dill called out, returning the injured pokemon to a pokeball.

"Return, Quilava." Ash recalled his Quilava, and placed the shrunk pokeball onto its place at his belt. Steelgar shoved Dill away, a scowl on his face, and threw a pokeball out before Ash had a chance to register the change.

A large, metallic snake was the creature that was released. It let out a roar, shaking its head violently. Ash backed up a step, staring at the great snake, before letting out a low growl. "This is the last pokemon! Dewgong, I choose you for this battle!"

The sea lion was let out, and it sang out happily. "Dewgong, gong, gong!" His newest pokemon looked back at him, waiting for an order of some sort.

"Rain Dance!" The pokemon's eyes flashed once, and a gentle rain started falling again. Steelgar glared at them, before glancing at his own combatant.

"Iron Tail! And make it good!" he yelled, pointing at the smaller pokemon. Steelix let out another earsplitting roar as his tail went rigid. Dewgong yelped at the steel-pokemon's attack hit it perfectly. Ash winced, as the water-type struggled up, recovering from the damaging attack.

"Use your Water Gun and Aurora Beam!" Ash said quietly. Steelgar cursed, the battle already won before the round was finished. Dewgong shot a steady stream of water at the lengthy pokemon, following it with a beam of light, both of them striking.

"Ste…" Crying out, Steelix crumpled to the ground, the coiled pokemon going still. Turning red in anger, Steelgar returned the fallen creature with a curse.

"No one has beaten me!" he growled, giving Ash a look of total loathing. The younger man stared back, Dewgong next to him silently. He returned the sea lion.

"Well then, you'll of learned something today then." Ash looked over his shoulder, out of the corner of his eye. May was still sitting on the bench, Pikachu on her lap, and wide-eyed. "Since a loss usually means a lesson…"

"Worthless," Dill spat, "A loss…it is utterly worthless!" Ash looked back at him, before his eyes went narrow. Foxy wasn't next to her companions any longer. She wasn't anywhere in sight.

_Where did that…oh god no._ He spun around, hearing the scream behind him. He went pale, his eyes going wide and fearful. "Go, Foxy, go! This'll teach him a lesson he won't likely forget!" Dill, along with Steelgar, crowed.

The red-headed woman grinned evilly at him, teasingly tapping on the trigger of the gun. The barrel of it was pressed against the teenager's temple. "May…No!" he yelled.

May kicked Foxy's ankle, twisting to be freed. It was to her disadvantage that she was a lot smaller, and that her pokemon were still in their pokeballs – in the bedroom. "Ash! Please, help me!"

"Shut up and hold still, before I have to do something you'll regret!" the older woman said, pressing the weapon harder, pushing the younger girl's head to the side with it.

"She has nothing to do with me or this building! Let her go unless-" Ash started, stepping toward them fearfully, his voice faltering. Just one shot…

"You lie. One bullet, one death, and you go down in a heartbeat, 'Master' Ash Ketchum," Steelgar sneered, causing the edgy man to glower at him.

"And what makes you say that?" Steelgar and Dill both laughed, getting another glare and scowl in the process. They were sorely taxing Ash's nerves, and it was showing.

"The very way you are acting, with such _worry_, such _fear_! You, sir, are an open book to our troupe, and have been ever sense we took an interest," Dill replied, his smile unwavering, "Now, Foxy, do your work."

There was a soft click, as the red-haired woman gently pulled back on the trigger, letting it hold on the edge of going off, hesitating. Tension built up in the room, as Ash stared from Foxy and May, to Steelgar, then back. "Don't." The plea was soft, defeated, "Don't do it, I'll do anything…"

Ash sank to his knees, his face hidden in his hands. "Just…just don't shoot."

Dill and Steelgar looked at each other, their eyebrows rising. Foxy, on the other hand, seemed almost moved by the statement. Her grip loosened and the weapon fell harmlessly to the floor with a pang, breaking the sudden silence. May couldn't help but stare in surprise, not moving even though she could have escaped from her captor.

Steelgar ended the moment with a snarl. "Idiot! Foxy, what in blazes are you doing?"

With a yelp and a gasp, she dove for the gun. Ash bolted up after her, his jaw tightened and eyes narrowed. "No, you will not!" he growled, grabbing hold of her wrist and causing the weapon to drop once again. With a hushed 'hmmph', he pushed it out of her reach with his foot. "While I am still alive and breathing, you will not touch a hair on that girl's head, got it?" Ash added, his voice threatening.

Foxy gasped, her breathing labored, before wiggling her hand free, and running for the door. She was closely followed by Dill and Steelgar, who was muttering "You damned cowards!" as he went, "You have not heard the end of Farrider, and you will not get away from us this easily next time!"

"…and yet, I think I will." Ash let out a sigh, before turning a glance onto May. He looked worn out and tired, the anger gone from his eyes to be replaced with worry and unease. "Are you hurt?"

May nodded, slowly at first, before looking at him. "No, I'm fine. But, um…why did you do that? You could have been killed-"

"Don't ask, please. I don't even know what has gotten into me, let alone _why._" Rubbing his eyes, Ash turned away nervously. He didn't want questions asked, not at that moment. "I want to go back to bed."

Without another word, he drifted past, not taking his eyes off the ground.

- - -


	7. Chapter Seven: The Electric Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Mushiness prevails! Actually...I _hate_ this chapter. It wouldn't be so bad if I could make the mushiness a little...less, but it basically would degrade it further, so just bear with it. D: 

Also, yes, I'm aware the believability of this chapter is..nonexistent. XD Haha. But I really couldn't think of another pokemon that would be powerful enough for what happens to replace the one I used.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, no prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 7: The Electric Encounter

The room was dark and silent when May 'woke up' hours later. In all reality, she hadn't really been sleeping; the who scene of the battle and the aftermath was still replaying itself in her mind, confusing her all the more. _'While I am still alive and breathing, you will not touch a hair on that girl's head, got it?'….what was that about? What does he get out of putting his own life on the line for my own? That Foxy woman could have easily turn the shot to him…_

She puzzled over why he had panicked so badly for several minutes, getting no answers from the night. May turned over, her head on her arm, looking at Ash. He was sleeping restlessly, mumbling under his breath things she couldn't quite hear or make out as coherent words. It was obvious that she was not the only one bothered, considering how still and calm he had been before then.

Slowly, May sat up and curled her legs under her as she bent next to Ash. She pulled her hair back with one hand, and brushed the other across his lips, getting a stuttering gasp in response. "Shh, it's ok."

After another small sound - "uh…" - Ash finally went silent, relaxing from whatever nightmare that had taken hold. Satisfied, May slipped out of bed, and got dressed silently, watching the still form, whose breathing had also went into the more regulated rhythm that was of normal, restful sleep. With a final look, she left the room, letting the door shut quietly behind her.

Walking along the halls, she noticed that there were no guards around, or at least none that she could see. It took her a while before spotting Sora emerging from a room only some feet away, and running over. "Hey, Sora!"

"Oh! May, what are you doing up? It's 5:30…on a Saturday!" Sora asked, looking the younger girl over as she talked. May shook her head.

"I need to talk to you. Mind a walk back to the room?" she replied, getting a deep frown from Sora. The green-haired woman looked clearly confused at the request.

"What is going on? Why?"

"I just do. Just follow, please?" When Sora nodded in agreement, May gave her a tired smile, and started back the way she had came. It didn't take long before they came up to the door and keypad, and that the code was put in - May noticed that there was a visible crack along the side of it, which showed just how the trio had managed to get in - and they entered. They turned to the left, going into the room that held the shelves of games.

"Ok now, what is it that you need to talk about? You look like you've been through Hell," Sora commented, keeping her voice low. May would have laughed, had she been in the mood to do so. She went into explaining what had happened: how Foxy, Dill, and Steelgar had broken in unbeknownst to the others; how Ash had taken the three on in the pokemon battles; and lastly, how it had ended.

"…that _is_ interesting. Though, what do you think about it?" May shook her head, her eyes faintly darkening. That was the question she'd been asking herself already.

"That's the thing, I don't know what to think. The whole thing confused the hell outta me…how did they get in! Why did Ash go off and put himself in such a risk? I don't get it," she admitted, biting her lip worriedly. Sora looked blankly at her; she had no answers.

- - -

With a groan, Ash stretched out, letting his muscles ease our of their stiffness. Rolling onto his stomach, he rubbed his eyes, and looked around curiously. Seeing no one around, he scrambled up, scanning over the room in alarm.

Dressing quickly, Ash scooped up the pokeball that held his faithful Pikachu, unleashing the small pokemon as he rushed out of the door. In the back of his mind, he knew it was foolish to get wound up over it; it was daylight, and there was nothing wrong.

It didn't stop him from worrying.

Quietly, he came up to the closed door of his game library, his eyes widening slightly as he heard the soft voices from inside it. Ash relaxed slightly, recognizing them as Sora and May. _Idiot, you're just paranoid._ His curiosity rising, Ash opened the door to a slit, slowly and silently.

"I can't tell ya anything, I don't know. You are talking to the wrong person about _that_." Sora. There was a sigh, and Ash twisted to be able to see what was happening. Talk about what?

His mental question was answered immediately. "But…how do you go about that? It surely can't be so simple…walking up and saying 'oh, yeah, by the way, I love you. How's the weather?'"

Letting the door shut again, Ash leaned back against the wall, his throat tightening. He felt as if he'd suffocate, his breathing forced. _I shouldn't have heard that. I shouldn't have listened_, he thought. A heavy guilt fell over him. Without another word, he pushed off the wall, and back towards the bedroom. After gathering a few things, he went back out to spend some time alone.

- - -

Only after several hours went by did May return to the bedroom, taking care to keep her footsteps a muffled shuffling. She pulled her pokemon team out of her bag, the surfaces of the red and white pokeballs dull from the wear of traveling and use. Looking around, she frowned. "Eh, Ash? You in here?" she asked to the still, silent air.

Getting no reply, she released three of her pokemon - a meowth, vaporeon, and pikachu, respectively - and crouched down in front of them. "Think you can help me find Ash?"

The trio of pokemon stared, cocking their heads to the side and their eyes innocently wide and questioning. May sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "I don't want to get lost again, ok?"

Satisfied, Vaporeon and Meowth started a slow circle around the room, their noses to the air as they searched. Pikachu crawled under the bed, leaving the bemused teenager to her thoughts. Meowth nudged her, looking up regretfully. When May turned her eyes down to meet them look, Vaporeon and Pikachu returned, shaking their heads.

"Hopeless…come on, let's see if this helps any." May stepped past them, and into the bathroom. Pikachu and Meowth jumped onto the counter, watching as she pulled a washcloth out of the small towel closet and opening the cabinet to peek inside. "Aha!" She popped the lid off the small bottle, and let some of the clear fluid drip onto it, before replacing the bottle and shutting the cabinet door. "Ok, here, smell this."

Pikachu cautiously sniffed at it, her small black nose twitching, as the others joined in. "Pikapi! Chuuu!" the yellow pokemon squealed, bounding out of the bathroom.

May followed, hopping past Vaporeon to get to the door. Swinging it open, the three pokemon bolted into the hall, getting to the outer door before her and waiting impatiently as she came up behind them, and let them out.

Vaporeon led the way, passing the guards and workers without recognizing them. Many minutes later they came up to the end of the main hall, and to another locked door. May looked curiously at the keypad, at the worn out numbers on it: 1, 3,5, and 9. She frowned, punching in a combination, and getting a beeping sound. It had been rejected.

Trying again, then again, it was rejected. Growing frustrated, May narrowed her eyes, putting a final set in - 5, 1, 3, 9 - and the door clicked, unlocking for her. "Thank you!" she said, pushing it open before it relocked.

Bright sunlight attacked her eyesight. May's pokemon fretted, covering their eyes with their paws and whimpering, as she blinked away the tears that came up from the pain. As her eyes adjusted, she glanced around at the landscape. It appeared as if they were in the mountains, and the open mouth of a cave was to her right, while to her left there was a trail leading out of eyeshot.

May frowned, as she looked at the lone trail. Pikachu sniffed at the ground, at the set of footprints in the dirt, as she returned Vaporeon and Meowth with a quick thank you. "There isn't supposed to be another way here…only the portal in Viridian Forest, he had said…" she said to herself, she started the walk along the gravel trail.

Slowly the gravel turned into dirt, then to fine yellow sand, the sun making it look white. May gasped, as she stepped out of the shade of the trees that had covered the end of the trail. The trees circled the perimeter of a small lake, was could not have been more then fifty feet wide. The tops of the mountain ridges peeked over the top of the trees.

May blinked, when her last remaining pokemon returned herself to the pokeball. Shaking her head, the young girl picked her way around the lake, admiring the way the sun reflected on the surface. She spotted Ash near the tree line several feet away. He was hunched over, engrossed in whatever book he was reading. His clothes, cloak, and a stack of books sat by his side. "Um, Ash?"

There was a moment of silence, as Ash slowly looked up, going taut. His eyes went wide. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

May sat down on the sandy ground, curling her legs around. Ash looked at her curiously, having went back to being relaxed. "You've never mentioned this being here before," she commented.

"No one knows about it." Ash said, looking around, taking in the scenery, "Sometimes I come down here to get some uninterrupted alone time, and let things take care of themselves."

"It certainly is private…" May picked up on the books, examining its worn cover. "How long have you been out here?"

Ash chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully, as he mulled the question over in his mind. "Around three to four hours, I think. I didn't exactly bring a watch."

"You've been sitting here this whole time?" Ash shook his head, looking at the water that was rippling gently in the breeze. The sunlight was beating down on it, sending sparkles across the surface.

"I go swimming too." He toyed with the pages of one of the books, the slight rips and tears along the edges showing the age and use of it. "I came over here to read just a while ago."

"What are these about?" she questioned, looking at the pile's different titles. Most of them were ones she didn't recognize, and doubted she'd have read if she had heard of them. Ash lifted them up, and set them on her lap, the spines facing up. "Hm…Where did you get all of these? I don't think I saw them laying about anywhere."

"I keep them in the closet, in a box. It's easier then putting a bookcase in," he said, leaning back to stretch out. He put his hands behind his head, cushioning from the ground. The sky was a pale blue, with clouds moving across slowly and lazily. May watched him, the troubled look the man had evident.

"There is something wrong." It was stated in a matter-of-fact voice, instead of asked. "What is it?"

Ash shook his head, his eyes closed. "Nothing is wrong. I'm fine."

May frowned, watching him quietly, before prodding again. "No, you aren't. What's going on?" she asked, getting a scowl in response. He rolled onto his knees, and started pulling his shirt on.

"Nothing is wrong." May piled the books into her arms, dropping the subject, and followed him up the trail at a sluggish pace when he had finished dressing and gotten up. There was no point is pushing him about something that obviously he had no mind to talk about; it was a waste of breath and time.

About halfway back to the building, Ash's step faultered, and he looked around, his eyes narrowed dangerously. He started up the trail faster, going at a half run, his movements hurried and somewhat frantic. May struggled to keep up, no longer able to keep her steps matched with his, and even in the hallway where she didn't have unsteady ground to contend with it was hard. "Ash, what is the rush? What is going on?" she asked.

"Something," he said, his voice strained. Ash took the pile of books and tossed them haphazardly into the hallway when he had the password put in and the door opened. Slamming it shut again, he grabbed her wrist - May yelped, the tight grip actually hurting somewhat - and pulled her along, mumbling under his breath inaudibly.

There were several moments that went by before they finally stopped in front of another door. Pushing it open with a single, quick movement, he shoved her in, following at her side. "Would you hurry up? You know the boss had told us not to dawdle, because of…" a voice said.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya…blah, blah, blah, knows when something is going wrong or is about to go wrong. Somehow." The dark of the room hid the identities of the intruders, but the voices were all-to-familiar. Flipping the light on, Ash scowled; he was starting to feel like he did whenever Team Rocket showed up.

"Not you again!" His voice rose angrily. He was getting sick of seeing their faces. "What in hell are you trying to do now? Bring my utter 'downfall' about again?"

Foxy, Dill, and Steelgar turned to regard the pair, eyeing them warily. "Oh yes," the woman said, smiling cruelly, "and in one of the best ways. Bring down the structure, bring down the master. And what a better way to shut everything down?"

"What's better then destroying your energy source?" Dill asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. They could only stare in amazement, though, when Ash smirked, not a ounce of fear or worry showing on his features.

"You are fools, aren't you? You really don't know anything about this place…" he remarked, crossing his arms across his chest, "That machine there, you can't hurt it." The tone of his voice had shifted, giving the impression of him going 'na na na na na naaaaa' without acting doing so.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Foxy reached over, aiming to pull at the revealed wires. She hollered as an invisible force propelled her away, slamming her into a wall. Dill and Steelgar glared at Ash, neither liking what they were seeing. "What was that supposed to be?" they both asked, getting an evil smile from the less-then-happy young man.

"Just my security system is all. I'm not quite that niave as to leave something this important without one." Looking about innocently, Ash whistled loudly, the high note echoing in the silent room. There was a screech, a door opening near the ceiling with a pop. The legendary thunderbird was perched on the edge, wings tucked to its sides and eyes open. With a cry, the pokemon took flight, circling the room excitedly. Ash, with more care then had been shown before, took a hold of May's hand, stepping to be in front of her. "Careful, keep close," he whispered, as the bird flapped its wings at a faster rate.

Within seconds, the room had become a swirling wind tunnel. Foxy was once again thrown against the wall, still dazed from the first onslaught done by the creature, while Dill and Steelgar kneeled down, fighting against the force. Even Ash was having trouble, his feet sliding under him, the shifting winds tearing around; it didn't help that May had to hang on, her eyes squeezed shut, and clinging to him.

The attack went on for several minutes, growing stronger instead of ceasing. Ash bent down, pulling May with him, to crouch closer to the floor, one hand flat against the metallic flooring to try to gain more stability; it was growing more difficult to stay in one place. "Tell it to stop!" she yelled right into his ear, the roaring of the trapped wind nearly overbearing her voice.

"I can't, he won't stop if he thinks something is wrong with this room! I trained him that way!" he replied just as loudly, wincing as the angry Zapdos screeched at them. "Zapdos, stop!"

Screeching again, the wind became even stronger. Ash ground his teeth together, feeling that they were being pushed back several inches. The pokemon screamed, its wings flapping continuously. "Pikachu! Use your THUNDER ATTACK!"

From the pokeball he had conjured, the yellow rodent was released, sparks flying from the thing's red cheeks. They hit the rampaging Zapdos, distracting the pokemon. The wind started to die down, getting slower and the howling ceased. Breathing heavily, Ash stepped forward, shaken from the wind storm. "You must listen when I give you an order!" he said, pulling down on the lever that was at the wall, "You could have killed us!"

There was a scream of pain from Zapdos as something was shot out at it from the original opening that it had appeared from – a spear, most likely of the Ground or Rock element – and the hurt pokemon returned to its perch, nursing the stinging sore. Foxy, Dill, and Steelgar cowered in their respective spots, all with wide eyes and shivering.

Calmly, Ash turned to them, eyes narrowed. "Hm…it might be a good idea of you were to run for your pathetic, measly lives, before I actually get real angry." he suggested, moving away from the door and motioning for May to follow, "I'm getting sick of the incompetence of you people."

Without another word or question, the trio escaped out the portal quickly, frightened. Sighing loudly, Ash turned to look at May, his eyes dark. "There goes my mood."

May frowned at him. "No…you still have the rest of the day to feel better," she pointed out.

"Don't...give me that look. You're too pretty for it." He faintly blushed, looking away in embarrassment. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, oh...thank you?" May said, slightly baffled. She carefully ran a hand through his dark hair, smoothing down the unruly locks, making him turn even redder. "You actually look really cute when you are embarrassed."

"Please stop." Ash backed off, hiding his face in his hands. "I'm beyond just being embarrassed."

"Why are you..." May could see by how his shoulders straightened that he had gone rigid when she reached out, just barely touching him. Turning slowly, lowering his arms, he stared with worried brown eyes.

"I really don't understand it. How you managed it, I'll probably never find out or know, but somehow you've gotten me tangled into something I have never in my life been in before." She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, her head turned to the side.

"What is it? What'd I do?" she asked, verbalizing the question Ash had suspected that she would ask. He shifted uncomfortably, neither like nor hating the situation. Doubtfully, he shrugged and sucked in his breath.

"I'm...no, forget it," Ash said, shaking his head. May tightened her grip, refusing to let the matter go.

"No, I will not. What are you on about?" May replied, frowning. Ash had to close his eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of doubt and wariness that was telling him to get the subject changed. _No_, he thought.

Taking another breath, he spilled it out quickly, the words running together in his haste, "I'm-in-love-with-you."

There was a moment of silence, as May moved to be in front of the nervous – and certainly scared – man. She hugged him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Ash," she said quietly, her voice trembling somewhat, "I...I love you."

Opening his eyes to stare, Ash gaped at her. May could only smile hesitantly, letting the words sink in fully; when they did, the two happily collapsed to the floor, neither minding the sting of hitting the metal.

- - -


	8. Chapter Eight: Two Unexpected Visitors

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: This chapter is really short because of how much shit I cut out of it. I might combine it with the next chapter, depending on how long that one turns out to be, but that's something I'll consider later.

This one I actually...somewhat like. It's iffy, but better then it was originally. I actually think how Jessie and James are acting is how they'd be if they grew up some. x.x And weren't after his pokemon all the time. Kinda.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, no prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 8: Two Unexpected Visitors

Sora spun around in her chair, looking about the quiet room. She smiled when she saw a dark form huddled in his chair, hidden under the folds of the dark cloak and hood. "What is he doing?" the woman seated to the side of her asked, peering across her to see.

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest," Sora admitted, leaning over to get a better angle and view. Her eyes widened considerably. "Oh my...that is..."

"What is it?" she asked, as Sora giggled softly. She pulled her seat up so that the woman could look.

"Take a look for yourself," the green-haired woman whispered, as her companion squinted her eyes. She covered her mouth, stifling the gasp that managed to get out.

"Oh, how adorable!" she squealed, "I didn't know!"

"Most don't know the truth of the matter. They probably just think it's a crush, if anything," Sora remarked, as there was a small explosion and the doors slid open. Two people stepped into the room, looking about easily.

"Put 'em up! Or you can prepare for trouble!" the female said, striking a pose. The man laughed.

"And that can be made double!" he added. As they struggled to stop from laughing, the workers all stared at them, then turned to look at Ash. It appeared as if he hadn't even noticed their presence, too absorbed into...whatever it was he was doing.

"To protect the world from devastation!" the red-haired beauty sang, as Sora rose and strode towards them.

"You are intruding on private property!" she said. The man laughed, and stepped past her. Still, all through the exchange, Ash hadn't made a move to do anything about them. With a small smirk, he first clapped loudly in a futile attempt to catch the attention of both curled up forms, and then sighed.

"I tried," he said, and grabbed hold of the cloak. Heaving up, he pulled over the shocked man, holding him by the neck of his shirt and shook him. Leaning down to be level with Ash, who was scowling at him, the amused intruder whispered into his ear. "If you two are done sucking face, maybe we can go talk? You didn't even give us a proper greeting!"

"And yet, you expected me to when you don't belong here, James?" Ash glared at him, scrambling to get to his feet and smooth out the wrinkles that were forming in his shirt. "Outside."

With as much grace and subtility as was manageable, they exited out into the hallway – even May, who had to try to ignore the curious looks and the blood that was rushing to her face – and let the door slide shut behind them.

"Now, who is this little lady?" Jessie asked, drawing both James' and Ash's attention to herself and May.

"Oh yeah, you would have still been on assignment to try to rip me off." Ash replied, getting a confused look from the brunette, "This is May. She's Professor Oak's granddaughter."

"Oh, tsk, tsk." James grinned. "You're hiding something. Perhaps that little session in there wasn't just a random act?"

"Do I hear wedding bells?" the redhead asked tauntingly.

"Uh..._what?_ No!" They both gave him amused looks. The three of them knew it was a joke; ever sense the truce they had came to was made, they'd started getting along quite well. It was like they were old friends.

"Are you really sure about that?" James asked, his smile widening, "Your situation doesn't seem to back up your denial. Do you have something you would like to tell us?"

Ash groaned. "No, I have nothing I want to tell you!" he said, his eyes darting over to the door.

"Well, regardless, I suggest you look in a mirror...unless pink is your new colour?" Jessie asked, sniggering when both James and May looked at him; they had to look away, smiling.

"Um, Ash...I probably should have mentioned that..."

Touching his hand to his mouth, he looked at it when he pulled it back, a dawning look appearing on his face. "God damn! May, couldn't you have pointed that out before?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. She shrugged innocently, snickering.

"I could have..." she said, "...but I didn't." Ash growled, wiping off the residue.

"Why do I put up with you?" Ash said, glaring at her, then at Jessie and James.

"Don't get so defensive," James suggested, "it isn't like we're going to take it to the newspapers. We're just advising that you watch your back...or your front, as the case may be."

The giggling erupted again as Ash turned a vivid shade of red. Jessie came around, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Now, now." she started, "We must be going, though it had been nice to at least say hello."

He muttered under his breath about wanting a normal life and normal friends. As they started walking off, James turned his head to look back. "Just remember to always say yes if she asks if something looks good on her, never look at another girl in her presence – at least obviously anyway – and to take precautions when you get to you-know-what," he advised, winking.

Ash wanted to melt into the floor on the spot as they walked away laughing. "Just kill me right now." he said, "Please. This is humiliating."

May watched him carefully. "You take it personally, don't you?" she asked, and Ash shook his head.

"A bit," he admitted, "but I'm more worried about everyone else finding out just how drastic this is too soon. I want to tell them myself...eventually, anyway."

Deciding against going back into the room, they started down the hallway side by side, neither looking at the other. "Why don't you then?" she asked; he shook his head again.

"It's too soon yet," he replied calmly. He turned to look at her when she stopped.

"No, that isn't it." May glanced around, then at him. "You're scared to. You don't know what they'll do or say."

"What?" Ash made a face. "No. I could walk in there right now and tell them if I wanted to."

"Then do it," she said, and he looked at her in mild shock. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Forget it." He started walking again, his head hunched down, eyes narrowed. "I...I'll do it later."

"Should I then?" Ash spun around to gape at her. "Yesno?"

"Just wait, will you?" he asked, "I have a plan." At the skeptical look, Ash smiled weakly. "I mean it. I do. It won't be much longer, I promise."

"I hope you mean that," May said, "because it's becoming more obvious by the day. Eventually they'll know without you saying a word."

Ash looked at her solemnly. "I'm tempted to let it work out that way. It's going to become very awkward afterwards..."

- - -


	9. Chapter Nine: Tension Running High

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Yet another chapter, yet more pulling out of my hair as I am amazed at how shit this was/is. This chapter took the cake for it thusfar. x.x

You want to know why? I cut out a good 90 percent of chapter 9 and merged what was left with part of chapter 10, along with taking a few elements out of the original 9 to do this. I might continue what happens at the end in the next chapter or the one before that...I'm not sure.

Anyway...NaNo in a month! You know what that means?

I will also be working on DG2. : That's...three fanfictions now that I need to work on. Bah.

And before someone points it out, I know that the beginning of this chapter is actually really ironic when compared to the current presidential candidates.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. I am not even sure what'll end up in this thing. A little bit of violence I'm sure, so...sorry, no prior warning.

- - -

Chapter 9: Tensions Running High

"For god's sake..." Ash pinched the bridge of his nose; he couldn't believe how ridiculous someone could be. "I'm aware that the United States aren't cowards, madam. I'm also aware you would rather divorce your husband before handing over the Item. However, I'm not giving in either." Talking to the president was like talking to a brick wall. He could hardly believe she ran a country; she was a hick through and through.

"Damn right!" The country drawl she had...he scowled. It grated on his nerves listening to her voice. "I'm keeping it! It is a symbol of my country!"

"No, it is a statue of a Pokemon, and you don't even have any there! Just do me a favor, and hand it over. I don't want your damn country, I just want the Item." There were several more minutes of bickering, before he finally hung up on her. He growled. "Whatta bitch."

"Well, there isn't much you can do about that, is there?" May asked, kneeling down beside him. Ash shrugged, chewing thoughtfully on his knuckles; an evil glint appearing in his eye, he grinned.

"There is _one_ thing I could do..."

May's expression turned stony. "You do, and I'll castrate you," she said solemnly; Ash's smile disappeared.

"...Ah, ouch. Point taken."

The phone wailing, he shushed her, quickly answering it. "Yes?"

"We have had a meeting." Ash snorted; he knew the president wouldn't wait too long. "And we decided to...graciously give it to you."

Even though the tone was polite, Ash could tell she was seething inside. "Oh? You shouldn't have," he said, and smirked when she grumbled under her breath.

"Do not think this means we are allies. We are nothing of the sort."

"I wouldn't dream of thinking that. And anyway, I don't want an ally like you. I like actually being able to rely on my allies." The incensed, offended swearing was mildly amusing; once she calmed down, she continued.

"Well, you can have it. Now leave us alone. We want nothing to do with you."

"Fine by me. Have a good day," Ash said, cutting the connection before letting himself laugh. "She's too easy. How she can handle being a President is beyond me."

He smiled then. "Let's go for a walk, shall we? It's getting stuffy in here."

Hearing no complaints from May, he stood, putting a hand out to help her up; they took to the halls quietly. Ash looked around, chewing on his lower lip, before finally pulling out a poke ball and letting Pikachu out; the rodent hissed angrily. "Sorry, Pikachu," he said as his best friend leaped up to settle on his shoulders, "I couldn't have you running around while I dealt with Miss Fuss."

The creature snickered. The humor dying down, Pikachu looked at him levelly, black eyes unmoving. "Pika? Chu?"

Ash shook his head, pointing down one of the halls before walking in the same direction; May followed by his side, taking hold of his hand. "No, and I have no intention of mentioning that either. Shut it."

"What?" she asked, confused. He glanced at her, and rolled his eyes.

"Something stupid. Ignore him." Pikachu hissed, ears bent back. "Shush. You know it's true." Ash gave the Pokemon a withering look.

"Cha," Pikachu acceded, "Pikapikachu?"

"Huh?"

"Ash!" They both turned around; Sora was running toward them, a small purple and red form cuddled in her arms. "Help it!"

"What in hell?" The head lifted up, large ears moving slowly. "Espeon. What happened?"

She shook her head. "A mishap," she admitted, "I was trying to work on lunch, and...the knife..."

If it wouldn't have hurt her feeling, Ash would have slammed his palm into his face. Taking the withering creature, he sighed. "Alright, alright, I can keep it in my room so it can be in the machine for awhile. Sora, you seriously need to learn how to use it yourself."

She smiled gratefully, silently. "I'll try to catch up with you. I need to clean up the mess," she said quietly.

He nodded. May looked between them, trotting once Ash started at a run back the other direction. "This isn't any good. Gods, it's bleeding badly..." Ash said.

It was a strange thing; once at their destination, Ash disappeared between a shelf of poke balls, the only indicator that he was still in the room being the low crying of Espeon. May peeked around a corner to watch him work; lifting the see-through lid, setting the pained Pokemon inside and closing it again, turning switches and knobs, pushing buttons...

The contraption sprang to life, lights blazing, other blinking. He turned away, rubbing his eyes before finally looking at her grimly. "If this doesn't do it, I don't know what else to do. This is when having one of the Nurse Joys around would be nice. They know how to use this better then I do."

"At least you know how to run it at all," May said, and Ash walked past her, patting her on the head.

"You can learn how to." She glared at him; Ash turned, smiling. "Well, it's the truth!"

She mumbled under her breath; with a groan, he went back, pulling her into a hug. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"You are such a bastard." She looked up at him. Ash leaned forward so that his forehead just barely touched hers; his smile widened.

"You won't be thinking that for long," he remarked tauntingly. Suddenly she felt the side of the shelf against her back, and the blood rushed to her face as he kissed her. "Think I am now?"

"Well..." She certainly wasn't about to give him the answer he wanted so easily. Ash stared at her, his expression turning from mild curiosity to amusement.

"I know what you're doing," he said quietly into her ear, "and I can make it just as difficult as you are being right now."

"Hm. Try it. I doubt you can," May replied, giving him an evil smile.

"Is that a challenge?" Ash asked innocently, mirroring her smile. She shrugged.

"You bet." The shelf rattled behind her as it was hit once again; she felt the back of her shirt come up and she slid down with him, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. May couldn't move; she was trapped between the shelf, the floor, and Ash. What little movement she could do she did; scampering to the side, she made moves to get up and run off, until Ash grabbed her ankle and dragged her back down.

"Like hell. Where do you think you're going?" he inquired, leaning over her. His entire mood seemed to change then; he looked oddly serious. "Just be...stay with me, please?"

When she nodded nervously, he let out a shaky breath and smiled. Ash bent over to once again place a kiss on her lips, one hand at her hip and the other palm down against the ground to keep balance.

"You two in here?" Both Ash and May made a face, quickly scrambling away from each other. When Sora appeared with Pikachu from around a corner of another shelf, they looked at each other uncomfortably. "What...happened?"

Noticing the flushed faces and the guilty looks aimed at her, it dawned on her. "Oh, right," she said, before looking apologetically at them, "I'm sorry, I hadn't known..."

"It's alright," Ash replied quietly, standing quickly, "I need to go check on how things are doing with the rest anyway." Without another word, he dashed out.

May looked at Sora, feeling both embarrassment at the situation and bad for Ash. "I mean it," the older woman said, "I am really sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have came in. He...he doesn't usually...ya know...not in here. Not with the pokemon all around."

"It's fine," May said, also standing from her spot beside the shelf, "I...I doubt we would have really done anything here. He was having a moment is all."

Sora shook her head. "That wasn't a moment. That was something that's been bothering him for awhile now."

She could only stare.

- - -


	10. Chapter Ten: The Chase

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo

A/N: Here it is, the last chapter of Master of the World. Thank god. I'm sick and tired of this, and I want to try to finish all my fanfictions, do the rewritings of a few others, and be done with it.

I have a novel in the works, not to mention some articles I am writing, essays...so much to write, so little time to do it in.

The ending of this didn't turn out as shitty as it had originally. It makes a little more sense then it did in the original, which makes me happy. So, anyway, thank you for reading, if you would like to read the sequel, go take a gander at Shadow League.

Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling.

- - -

Chapter 10: The Chase

Hearing footsteps out in the hall, Ash quickly glanced toward the door; he didn't have much time. He gave one last glance to the garment hanging inconspicuously in the closet before quietly shutting it, sighing a breath of relief; it had turned out better then he had thought it would.

Right on time, he turned around as May entered. A pink blush crept up on him, which went unnoticed as she wordlessly went into the bathroom and shut the door with a snap. The awkward tension in the air felt constricting; he went to sit down on the edge of the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Damn it all," he muttered under his breath, "I knew it was a bad idea..."

"Pika?" A small yellow head poked out from behind him.

"I told you it was a bad idea. Pandora's Box is open now." Pikachu snorted.

"Chuuuuuu." The face Ash made was nothing short of disgust.

"Pikachu!" he hissed, "That's sick, knock it off." The Pokemon snickered.

"Piiiiikachu!" the rodent protested, "Kaaaa!" Ash sighed.

"Fine, so it's true. Doesn't mean you have to point it out to me," he said. Pikachu shrugged when they both heard the bathroom locks being undone; the knowing Pokemon gave him the peace sign before taking to it's refuge.

Wearing a fresh pair of pajamas, May padded over to the other door, peeking out quickly before shutting and locking it; at the inquiring look Ash gave her, she shrugged. "What? Did you enjoy the last visit we had at night?"

He wasn't sure if she was joking or not; either way, he managed to crack a smile, getting one in return. Putting his focus entirely on a suddenly interesting spot on the wall, Ash frowned again. "I'm sorry, May."

She shook her head; taking a seat next to him, May glanced over. "There isn't anything to say sorry for," she said.

Then the argument started.

"Yes there is-"

"No there isn't-"

"Totally uncalled for-"

"Not at all!"

"I screwed up anyway!"

"I did too!"

"I should know better!" They looked away from each other.

"No one's perfect-"

"It's my second time-"

"It's my first!"

"I should've known better-"

"So you made a-"

"Dammit May, I love you! I didn't want to screw up this time!" Ash glared at her; just as quickly he turned away again, his anger turning in on himself. He laid down on his side, his back to her. "I don't want to screw up again."

She slowly turned around to look at him. "Ash..." she started.

"Don't ask," he said quickly, "just...don't ask. I don't want to talk about it. End of story."

Snuggling up against him, she sighed. "I wasn't going to. I don't want to fight with you," May replied, peering over his shoulder and snaking an arm around him.

He took hold of her hand, squeezing it. "I know you don't. I don't exactly feel like arguing either." Ash looked at her. "Not that it matters really. We already did."

She could only smile at him, and him back.

- - -

"Chu? Pika?" Ash was leaned up against the Item Holder, his eyes focused intently on the Kanto Item. Pikachu's ears perked up when he let out a loud breath.

"I'm fine." Picking the object up, he looked at it closely, turning it in his hands. Nodding once, he turned and started out, carrying the statue with as much care as he could. "Perhaps they are linked somehow..."

"Pi chaaa?" The yellow rodent leaped up to latch onto him, nose twitching. Ash pointed out the small indentation in the top of it. It wasn't very large; he was able to cover it with his pinkie.

Ash set it down when they got to his room, placing it on the bedside table. Pikachu's head tilted to the side when he dove into the closet, pulling out boxes and opening them. He flung the lid off the one he wanted finally; books on top of books were stacked inside. "...aha."

Pulling out a thick volume, he kicked the box back into the closet, slamming the door shut. He leafed through the pages, biting his tongue in thought, until he sat down. "I think it was in here." Pikachu sniffed at it, black eyes darting up to look at him.

"Pikachu," the creature stated, shrugging. Some of the pages stuck together; he looked up as he peeled them apart, stopping only when the door opened and May peeked in.

"Oh, hey," he said, "I thought you said you were going to stay in the other room?" Plopping down beside him, she shook her head.

"I changed my mind," May replied lightly, snuggling up to him. She looked at the exposed page. "What're you reading?" Resting his chin on top of her head, Ash smiled.

"Looking into a hunch is all. Pikachu, do you remember were I put it?" Pikachu nodded, ears straight up, and bounded over to one of the dressers. Standing on his hind legs, the pokemon yanked on the bottom one until it opened – sending Pikachu tumbling backwards. With a growl Pikachu jumped back up, leaping in to ruffle through the mess inside. May and Ash looked at each other, the former in amazement and the latter is amusement.

Pikachu poked his head out, holding a poke ball up on two small arms. Throwing it out, they watched as he rolled it across the floor, and used his tail to fling it up onto the bed. "That," Ash said finally, coaxing the object over, "is what I call a resourceful pokemon."

"What is it? That's no Poke ball I've ever seen," May said, wrinkling her nose; the top half of the orb was silver, the bottom gold. The band around it was a garish purple. However, it wasn't the colouring that was the most amazing part. The fact that on the bottom, button, and the band were emeralds that stood out about an inch or so from the surface, rounded to perfection. "This has got to be the ugliest Poke ball I've ever seen."

Ash snickered. "I'm aware. Actually, this is what is called the Ancient Ball. Supposedly there are four more of these. Two in Johto, one in the Orange Islands, and one in Kanto." he replied, turning it over thoughtfully in his hand. "This is what I was looking for in this book, because look-"

Taking the Kanto Item from it's placement, he shooed her off. Placing it firmly between his knees to keep it steady, he gently placed the shining Poke ball atop it. There was a soft tap, but otherwise it stayed in place. "There's a legend that's over a thousand years old that goes with it all," he continued, "The Pokemon League hadn't started yet. It was said that there was once this force that was terrorizing the world. It's strength was supposed to be beyond that of any person or Pokemon."

May's eyes widened. At her awed look, he nodded. "The countries came together and created the Ancient Ball, and that five of them were needed to contain it. Its power was split into five sections and captured in these, the largest of which would go atop the Kanto Item."

They looked at each other, at the Item, then at each other again. "Rubbish," May said, "That can't be for real...I mean, five sections? That'd kill whatever it was to start with."

"Perhaps." Ash set them to the side, pulling the Ancient Ball off again to put it beside the Item. "I'm more curious as to how they all actually fit together, and if the others exist. If that wasn't what they were created for, then why?"

May shrugged. "I guess you're the only one that can find out now," she said, getting a slight smile. Pikachu groaned and covered his eyes when Ash dropped an impromptu kiss on her.

"Does that bother you? One day I'll be a famous researcher, all because I found out the secret behind the Ancient Ball," Ash boasted, getting a wry look from May. She picked the tome up, closing it with a soft thump, and tossed it over the edge of the bed.

"I hardly think that'll happen, so I guess you'll have to do as you are now," she said, following up with yet another peck on the lips. Pikachu peeked out from between paws, shaking his head when the pair fell over. Sighing, he jumped down, making like lightning to get out. Glancing over, Ash had to stifle a laugh.

"I think that we just officially disturbed Pikachu," he pointed out with a grin, pushing himself back up. Checking the clock, he let out a breath. "It would figure that we have no time. Aw hell."

At the curious look May gave him, Ash rose. He opened the closet door again, his eyes scanning over the clothing hanging in it until they fell on what he was seeking. Ash looked at her uneasily, then back at the clothes. Shrugging, he pulled the only pink thing in it out, putting it delicately on the bed beside her. "Ta da." he said bleakly, "If you don't like it, we have a problem."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. She stood up quickly to hug him, making him shuffle backwards. "No, I love it," she said quietly, "but what is it for?"

"Tonight. Go get dressed." May stared.

"Tonight? What's going on tonight?" she asked, and Ash nudged her.

"You'll see later," he insisted, giving her a faint, amused smile, "trust me, it's better if you don't know beforehand."

- - -

"Remember, I said no looking.," Ash whispered, guiding her along. May pulled a face.

"I don't see why I can't, everything looks the same anyway..." She could hear people talking. A lot of people.

Hearing a door open, there was a hush. May blindly looked around, looking up when Ash made her sit down. "You can look now."

Opening her eyes, they widened; tables covered the room, people sitting at them in their best attire. Ash took a seat next to her, taking a hold of her hand when she turned to stare at him. A small, discrete smile flitted across his face, before he said, "Surprise?"

"What is this?" she asked, "What is this about?"

The smile turned into a toothy grin. "Oh," Ash started, "you'll find out soon enough."

Soon enough turned out to be a few hours later. Dinner had finished already; bellies full, everyone talked and carried on, a good time being had by all. Ash stood, walking around to get to the front of the room. Nothing had to be said; most of them turned a wary eye on him, going silent. "Well, I'm sure you all are thinking that about half of you are probably going to need to start packing after this," he said, "and if we went backwards one year, you'd probably be right."

There were a few nervous laughs. "However, things are changing. I'm not going to stand here and tell you whether you stay or go. This place is my home. I live and work here, just like the rest of you do. I'm not going to take that away from any of you. Not any more, anyway," Ash continued. They stared, a tense silence falling over the room. "No...I really cannot do so without guilt. Not any longer."

He waited for the murmurs to die down before going on. "I admit that I had been seriously bent out of shape for much too long. Something had been taken from me that had been very dear, and instead of just dealing with it, I lashed out in the worst ways possible." Ash took a breath. "I've done a lot that I regret even now. I hurt quite a lot of people, even the ones I'd wanted to hurt the very least."

Looking around at them, all eyes were alert, focused, with a few confused. Ash shrugged. "I'm positive you all know what started this. It's been almost too obvious from the start. Am I correct?"

More and more smiles started appearing then, many of them nodding in agreement. Ash bowed his head, his own mouth curling upward in slight embarrassment; he was starting to feel more like a teenager trying to admit a crush then a grown man talking to an assembly. "Well, I suppose that leaves me with only the option of explaining why I bring it up. There is a reason I chose today of all days to hold this, rather then in a few weeks like I typically would. May?"

There was confusion as he turned, looking over at her. "What is today?" he asked lightly, giving no hints as to the answer.

When no answer was forthcoming, the two of them merely watching each other intently, Ash smiled. "Has it not been a few months?" he prompted.

A dawning look appeared on her face as she rose from her seat. It took only seconds for May to race over to him when he put an arm out to embrace her, both of them getting perplexed looks from their audience. "Six months." she said, "I've been here six months."

"And?"

May nuzzled him. "I've known you for six months."

"_And?_" At Ash's vague questioning, May glanced up at him, making a face as she mentally backtracked. Her eyes widened slightly.

"It was a month ago that you said you love me," she replied finally, and he bent slightly so they were nose-to-nose. He kissed her gently.

"That's right." He gave everyone else a lingering look. "It's been six months today since she showed up here, and it's also been a month since I was finally able to admit what I should have known all along." Ash turned to May then, his expression changing to mild nervousness. "Don't make me say it."

"Well, I surely can't. You told me to let you do it, so please, do tell," May pointed out, getting a groan from him.

"I did, didn't I?" he mused, "I suppose I have to." Taking a deep, steadying breath, Ash looked away. It was only with prompting from May that he glanced back at everyone again, lightly blushing in embarrassment. He hadn't expected the moment to be so...intimidating. He had the funny feeling if it were his own mother he was facing rather then a crowd, it would be much the same way.

Regardless, he put on another smile. "I love her." he said, "Very much. Which is good for us, not so good for you all – you have to do whatever she tells you to now. Though I really shouldn't talk. I'm her personal slave."

Laughter erupted at the jab he made at himself. May merely watched him, her eyes focused contently; Ash rose an eyebrow inquiringly, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation when she once again got close. "That'll give them something to yap about for the rest of the night." Ash remarked, lowering his voice so that it was no more then a breathy whisper, "Shall we return to my...our room?"

One look into his dark eyes showed the intent. Chewing on her lip thoughtfully, she turned to take a few steps away from him, looking over her shoulder. "Yes...I do believe we should."

At the relieved expression Ash acquired, May grinned evilly. "But only if you can catch me first," she clarified sweetly, stooping down to pull her heeled shoes off.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied. Waiting until she disappeared out into the hallway, he shrugged at the questioning looks he received. "Orders are orders."

Most of them could only smile knowingly as he took chase.

- - -


End file.
